U.S. patent number 4,227,299 [Application Number 05/968,057] was granted by the patent office on 1980-10-14 for hand tool for terminal connection of electrical cable to an electrical connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Bunker Ramo Corporation. Invention is credited to Guenter Kuehling.
United States Patent |
4,227,299 |
Kuehling |
October 14, 1980 |
Hand tool for terminal connection of electrical cable to an
electrical connector
Abstract
A hand tool is disclosed for assembling or terminating an
electrical cable to a terminal connector or the like which has a
receptacle portion for receiving the cable. The hand tool includes
a pair of hand operated opposing jaws for movement toward and away
from each other. One of the jaws of the tool has a relatively rigid
bearing plate defining a bearing surface facing the opposing jaw
for engaging the terminal connector. The opposing jaw has a stuffer
blade for engaging the cable and driving the cable into the
receptacle portion of the connector. A resiliently yieldable
backing member is sandwiched between the bearing plate and the one
jaw to provide yielding movement therebetween to accommodate
variable sized terminal connectors positioned between the jaws and
to prevent damage to the electrical cable due to possible excessve
pressure being applied when the cable is assembled to the
connector. The bearing plate is mounted on the one jaw by a post
member securely fixed at one end to the back side of the bearing
plate. The post member extends through the yieldable backing member
and is connected at its other end to the one jaw by lost motion
means to accommodate yielding movement between the bearing plate
and the jaw. In one form of the invention, the jaws of the tool
form extensions of unitary handles in a plier-type tool. In another
form of the invention, the jaws are pivotally connected to separate
handle members by toggle-type connections.
Inventors: |
Kuehling; Guenter (Berwyn,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Bunker Ramo Corporation (Oak
Brook, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25513664 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/968,057 |
Filed: |
December 11, 1978 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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935395 |
Aug 21, 1978 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
29/751;
72/409.12; 72/466.6; 81/426 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
43/015 (20130101); Y10T 29/53226 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
43/01 (20060101); H01R 043/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;29/751,753,566.3,566.4,758,268 ;81/425A,425R,426,418
;72/410,465,466 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hall; Carl E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Arbuckle; F. M. Hoffman; J. R.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation-in-part of my copending United States patent
application Ser. No. 935,395, filed Aug. 21, 1978, now abandoned
and entitled "Hand Tool For Terminal Connection of Electrical Cable
to an Electrical Connector".
Claims
I claim:
1. A hand tool for assembling an insulated electrical cable to a
terminal conductor or the like which has a receptacle portion and
an insulation piercing contact for receiving the insulated cable,
comprising: a pair of handle operated opposing jaws for movement
toward and away from each other, one of said jaws having means
defining a bearing surface for engaging the terminal connector, and
the other jaw having a stuffer portion for engaging the cable and
inserting the cable into the insulation piercing contact in the
receptacle portion of the connector, and means defining a
resiliently yieldable backing member in the form of a cushion pad
on at least one of said jaws between the jaw and the respective
bearing surface or the stuffer portion providing yielding movement
therebetween to accommodate variable sized terminal connectors
positioned between the jaws and to prevent damage to the electrical
cable due to excess pressure applied when the cable is assembled to
the connector, said cushion pad being fabricated of a material
providing sufficient back-up to permit the contact to pierce the
insulation of the cable but being sufficiently resilient to prevent
the contact from damaging the conductive wire of the cable.
2. The hand tool of claim 1 including means for removably mounting
said yieldable backing member on said one jaw.
3. The hand tool of claim 1 including lost motion means connecting
the respective surface means or the stuffer portion to said one jaw
to accommodate said yielding movement therebetween.
4. The hand tool of claim 3 wherein said lost motion means
comprises a pin and slot construction, the slot extending generally
in the direction of movement of said jaws.
5. The hand tool of claim 1 including means on said hand operated
jaws for biasing the jaws to an open position.
6. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein said bearing surface means
comprises a bearing plate mounted on said one jaw with said bearing
surface facing the opposing jaw, and said resiliently yieldable
backing member is sandwiched between the bearing plate and said one
jaw.
7. The hand tool of claim 6 wherein said bearing plate is mounted
to said one jaw by means extending through said yieldable backing
member.
8. The hand tool of claim 6 including lost motion means connecting
the bearing plate to said one jaw to accommodate yielding movement
therebetween.
9. The hand tool of claim 8 wherein said bearing plate is mounted
to said one jaw by means extending through said yieldable backing
member.
10. The hand tool of claim 9 wherein said last named means is
connected to said one jaw by said lost motion means.
11. The hand tool of claim 10 wherein said lost motion means
comprises a pin and slot construction, the slot extending generally
in the direction of movement of said jaws.
12. The hand tool of claim 11 wherein said pin is selectively
removable for placement of said resilient backing member and/or
said bearing plate.
13. The hand tool of claim 1 including a pair of handle members for
said jaws, providing a plier-type tool, said jaws being pivotally
connected to said handle members by toggle type connections.
14. The hand tool of claim 1 including a pair of handle members for
said jaws, providing a plier-type tool, said jaws forming integral
extensions of said handle members.
15. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein said cushion pad is fabricated
of synthetic rubber, or like material.
16. A hand tool for assembling an insulated electrical cable to a
terminal connector or the like which has a receptacle portion and
an insulation piercing contact for receiving the cable, comprising:
a pair of handle operated opposing jaws for movement toward and
away from each other, one of said jaws having means defining
bearing surface means for engaging the terminal connector and the
other jaw having a stuffer portion for engaging the cable and
inserting the cable into the insulation piercing contact in the
receptacle portion, said bearing surface means comprising a bearing
plate mounted on said one jaw with said bearing surface facing the
opposing jaw, the bearing plate being fabricated of generally rigid
material, a resiliently yieldable backing member in the form of a
cushion pad sandwiched between said bearing plate and said one jaw
providing yielding movement therebetween to accommodate variable
sized terminal connectors positioned between the jaws and to
prevent damage to the electrical cable due to excess pressure
applied when assembling the cable to the connector, said cushion
pad being fabricated of a material providing sufficient back-up to
permit the contact to pierce the insulation of the cable but being
sufficiently resilient to prevent the contact from damaging the
conductive wire of the cable, said bearing plate and said yieldable
backing member being mounted to said one jaw by a post member
rigidly secured at one end to said bearing plate and extending
through said yieldable backing member, and lost motion means
connecting the other end of said post member to said one jaw to
accommodate yielding movement of said bearing plate relative to
said one jaw.
17. The hand tool of claim 16 wherein said lost motion means
comprises a pin and slot construction between said other end of the
post member and said one jaw, the slot extending generally in the
direction of movement of said jaws.
18. The hand tool of claim 17 wherein said pin is selectively
removable for replacement of said resilient backing member and/or
said bearing plate.
19. The hand tool of claim 16 including a pair of handle members
for said jaws, providing a plier-type tool, said jaws being
pivotally connected to said handle members by toggle type
connections.
20. The hand tool of claim 16 including a pair of handle members
for said jaws, providing a plier-type tool, said jaws forming
integral extensions of said handle members.
21. The hand tool of claim 15 wherein said cushion pad is
fabricated of synthetic rubber, or like material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a hand tool for assembling an electrical
cable to a terminal connector.
Certain hand tools of the character described, as well as crimping
tools in the field of electrical connectors, commonly include a
pair of jaws in a plier-type tool. The jaws may have either a
pivotal action for cooperation with one another, or a generally
parallel action facilitated by a toggle-type connection. The tool
has a pair of handle members pivotally connected to one another and
which are pivoted by the operator's hand to effect a connector
assembly, crimping or other terminal operation through closing
movement of the jaws. The handle members are usually spring biased
to their open or separated positions and manipulated by the
operator to their closed positions against the spring bias. It is
through force exerted by the operator on the handle members that
the assembly or termination is effected.
One common method of terminating electrical cables, for instance,
insulation clad cables to terminal connectors, is to insert the
cables into receiving slots formed in the connectors and which hold
the cables in terminate positions. In many instances, the
connectors have electrical contact piercing portions or blades
which pierce the insulative covering about the cables during
assembly or termination of the cables to the connector to establish
an electrical conductive path therethrough after the assembly
operation. Problems arise when an operator exerts indeterminate
force on the handle members of the tool during the aforesaid
assembly operation, particularly when excess force is exerted by
the operator. Excessive forces can drive the insulation piercing
conductive blades into or through the conductive wire portion or
core of the cable causing damage to the cable. This could interfere
with the electrical properties of the cable. This problem
particularly arises when the electrical connectors to which the
cables are terminated are of varying sizes for various intended
purposes, such as male and female connectors. Without any provision
being made for the difference in connector size, the operator can
rely only on his feel of the connector to insure that the piercing
blades of the connector contacts do not damage or overly cut
through the conductor core of the cable.
Attempts have been made to provide a hand tool which has adjusting
means which can be set to determine the closing distance of travel
of the jaws of the tool depending upon the size of the connector
which is to be assembled to the appropriate electrical cable.
However, with such manually adjustable tools, the tool requires a
separate physical action to set the tool for each size or
configuration of connector. It would be desirable, and this
invention is directed, to provide a hand tool of the character
described for solving these problems in assembling or terminating
electrical cables for electrical connectors or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a hand
tool for assembling or terminating an electrical cable to a
terminal connector or the like for accommodating different sizes or
configurations of terminal connectors.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a hand tool
which automatically accommodates different sized terminal
connectors.
These and other objects are accomplished by providing a hand tool
for assembling or terminating an electrical cable to a terminal
connector or the like which has a receptacle portion for receiving
the cable. The tool is in the form of a plier type structure which
has a pair of handle-operated opposing jaws for movement toward and
away from each other at adjacent ends of handle members which are
spring biased to their open or separated positions. The handle
operated jaws are manipulated by an operator to their closed
positions against the spring bias. The jaws are closed to assemble
or terminate the electrical cable to the terminal conductor through
force exerted by the operator on the handle members. A bearing
plate is mounted on one of the jaws and has a bearing surface
facing the opposing jaw for engaging the terminal connector. The
other jaw has a stuffer portion or blade for engaging the
electrical cable and driving the cable into the receptacle portion
of the connector. A resiliently yieldable backing member, in the
form of a backing pad, is sandwiched between the bearing plate and
the one jaw providing yielding movement therebetween to accommodate
variable sized terminal connectors positioned between the jaws, to
prevent damage to the electrical cable due to excess pressure
applied by an operator when the cable is assembled to the
connector. The bearing plate is mounted on its respective jaw by
means of a post type member which is rigidly fixed at one end
thereof to the bearing plate, extends through the yielding backing
member, and is connected to the jaw at the other end of the post
member by lost motion means in the form of a pin and slot
connection. The slot is formed in the jaw and extends generally in
the direction of movement thereof, and the pin is positioned within
the slot transversely thereof and extending through the post
member. The pin is removable to permit replacement of the bearing
plate and/or the yieldable backing member. The stuffer portion or
blade on the other jaw is mounted thereon by means of a removable
pin so that the stuffer blade can be removed for replacement
purposes or for reversal of the stuffer blade.
In one form of the invention, the opposing jaws of the hand tool
are connected to the handle members of the tool by a toggle type
connection, and in another form of the invention, the jaws form
integral extensions of the handle members.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of the hand tool of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an end elevational view taken generally in the direction
of arrows 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmented horizontal section taken generally along
line 3--3 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 4 is a fragmented horizontal section taken generally along
line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a fragmented horizontal section taken generally along
line 5--5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken generally along line 6--6 of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of another form of the hand tool
of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the hand tool of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the hand tool of FIG. 7,
looking toward the left of the tool shown in FIG. 7; and
FIG. 10 is an end elevational view looking toward the right end of
the tool shown in FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and specifically to
the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1; the hand tool of the
present invention, generally designated 10, is designed for
assembling an electrical cable (not shown) to an appropriate
terminal connector (not shown) or the like which has an appropriate
receptacle portion for receiving the cable. The cable is
conventional and includes an electrical conductor or wire covered
by a coating of thermoplastic insulative material or the like.
Ribbon cables which include a plurality of such coated conductors
connected by a webbing in a planar parallel disposition normally
are terminated in an elongated terminal connector which has a
plurality of slots extending longitudinally thereof defining
receptacles for receiving the multiple cables. A plurality of
individual contact members are mounted on the terminal connector in
conjunction with each receiving slot and includes conductive
piercing blades which cut into or pierce the thermoplastic
insulative coating for the cables as the cables are stuffed into
the slots to establish the respective electrical connections. In
many instances, the cables must be removed and/or replaced
individually for repair or other purposes, and the hand tool of the
present invention is designed for assembling an individual cable
into an individual receptacle portion of the terminal connector.
Other similar applications of the hand tool will be apparent from
the following detailed description.
The hand tool 10 includes a pair of handle operated opposing jaws
12 and 14 (the upper and lower jaws, respecitvely, shown in FIG. 1)
which are fabricated of solid rigid material such as steel, or
similar alloy materials. The jaws 12 and 14 are pivotally connected
in a toggle arrangement to the ends of channel shaped handles 16
and 18, respectively, by pivot pins 20 and 22, respectively. Each
handle 16, 18 has spaced wing-like members 24 disposed at the inner
end thereof in a generally parallel spaced disposition sandwiching
the jaws 12, 14 therebetween and through which the pivot pins 20,
22 extend. The jaws 12, 14 extend inwardly beyond the pivot pins
20, 22 between the wings 24 of the handles 16, 18 and are connected
thereto by a lost motion means, generally designated 26, completing
the toggle type connection between the handles and jaws. The lost
motion connection 26 for each handle and jaw includes a rearwardly
opening slot 28 formed in the inner ends of the jaws 12,14 and
through which pivot pins 30 extend for movement lengthwise within
the slots 28 of the jaws. The pivot pins 30 are fixed at the ends
thereof to the respective handles. As the jaws 12, 14 open and
close in the direction of double headed arrow A (FIG. 1) as the
handles 16, 18 are operated in the direction of double headed arrow
B (FIG. 1), the jaws correspondingly move in a toggle type fashion
about pivot pins 20, 22, with the difference between the arcuate
paths of movement of the jaws and the handles being accommodated by
the relative movement of pivot pins 30 within slots 28.
The handles 16, 18 themselves are pivotally connected together for
opening and closing about double headed pivot pins 32 extending
through the pairs of wings 24 at the inner ends of the handles.
Each handle 16, 18 is covered by an insulative coating or sleeve
33.
The handles 16, 18 are spring biased to their open or separated
positions and manipulated by an operator to their closed positions
against the spring bias. The spring means includes a pair of
elongated coil springs 34 which are secured to their outer ends to
tabs 35 on the inside of the handles and at their inner ends to the
inner ends of the jaws 12, 14 within the handles 16, 18,
respectively.
A stuffer blade 36 is rigidly secured to the inside of the upper
jaw 12 by means of a set screw 38, with the stuffer blade disposed
within a slot 40 (FIG. 3) formed in the jaw 12. The stuffer blade
36 has a waffle configuration 42 along its exposed edge facing the
jaw 14. The waffled edge 42 engages the outer coating or insulation
of an electrical cable during the assembly operation of the hand
tool to eliminate longitudinal movement of the cable during
assembly. The set screw 38 may be loosened to adjust, reverse or
replace the stuffer blade 36.
A bearing plate 44 is secured to the lower jaw 14 and has a flat
bearing surface 46 facing the stuffer blade 36 in the jaw 12. A
resiliently yieldable backing member or cushioning pad 48 is
sandwiched between the bearing plate 44 and the jaw 14 providing
for yielding movement between the bearing plate and jaw to
accommodate variable sized terminal connectors positioned between
the jaws 12, 14 to prevent damage to the electrical cable due to
excessive pressure which might be applied by an operator of the
tool when the cable is assembled or terminated to the connector as
further elaborated hereinafter.
A lost motion means, generally designated 50, is provided for
connecting the bearing plate 44 to the jaw 14. More particularly,
the lost motion means includes a pair of slots 52 formed in the
outer or side faces of the jaw 14 and extending generally in the
opening and closing direction of movement of the jaws 12, 14 as
shown by the double headed arrow A (FIG. 1). A pin 54 extends
through the jaw 14 with the opposite ends of the pin disposed
within the slots 52. A post like member 56 is rigidly secured at
one end thereof (the top end as viewed in FIG. 1) to the underside
of the bearing plate 44, extends through a bore 58 in the
resiliently yieldable backing member or cushion 48 and through a
bore 60 formed in the jaw 14. The pin 54 extends through the post
member 56 to mount the bearing plate 44 and the resilient backing
member 48 to the jaw 14. This lost motion connection accommodates
relative movement between the bearing plate 44 and the jaw 14 as
well as compression and expansion of the resilient member 48 during
operation of the tool to assemble or terminate an electrical wire
to cable to a terminal connector or the like. The pin 54 preferably
is removable, as by a press-fit through the post member 56
connected to the bearing plate 44, to permit replacement of the
backing member 48 and/or bearing plate 44 and post member 56.
It should be pointed out that the resiliently yieldable backing
means of the present invention could be appropriately employed
between the stuffer blade 36 and jaw 12 to accommodate differences
in the sizes and shapes of various connectors, but the present
embodiment of the backing member 48 disposed between the bearing
plate 44 and the jaw 14 has proven quite effective.
The yieldable backing member 48 is fabricated of a resilient
material depending upon the material of the insulative coating of
the particular type of electricl cable employed with the hand tool
10 of the present invention, so that the yieldable backing member
48 provides a sufficient back-up for the bearing plate 40 whereby
the piercing blades of the contact which is mounted on the terminal
connector can cut through or pierce the outer insulative coating of
the cable to establish an electrical connection. However, the
yieldable backing member 48 should be sufficiently resilient to
prevent the piercing blades of the contact from cutting through or
damaging the conductive wire of the cable. In practice, a synthetic
rubber material for the backing member 48 of approximately 80
durometer has proven effective for many insulation clad cables, to
permit the insulative covering of the cable to be pierced by the
contact blades, but to prevent the wires of the cables to be
damaged by the contact piercing blades.
Referring to the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 7 through 10,
a hand tool, generally designated 70, is shown to include a pair of
handle operated opposing jaws 72 and 74 (the upper and lower jaws,
respectively, shown in FIG. 7). The jaws are fabricated of solid
rigid material, such as steel or similar alloy materials, and form
unitary extensions of handle members 76 and 78 for the jaws 72 and
74, respectively. The jaws 72, 74 and the handle members 76, 78 are
pivoted together by a single pivot pin 80 to form a plier-type tool
whereby the jaws move toward and away from each other generally in
the direction of double headed arrow A (FIG. 7) and the handle
members moved toward and away from each other generally in the
direction of double headed arrow B (FIG. 7). A coil spring 82 is
disposed, under compression, between the handle members 76 and 78
to bias the hand members and jaws outwardly toward their open or
separated positions.
A stuffer blade 84, similar to the stuffer blade 36 shown in FIGS.
1-6, is rigidly secured to the inside of the upper jaw 72 by means
of a set screw or pin 86. The stuffer blade 84 is disposed within a
slot 88 (FIG. 9) formed in the jaw 72. The stuffer blade 84 has a
waffle configuration 90 along its exposed edge facing the jaw 74.
As with the stuffer blade 36 shown in FIGS. 1-6, the waffled edge
engages the outer coating or insulation of an electrical cable
during the assembly or termination operation of the hand tool to
eliminate longitudinal movement of the cable during assembly. The
set screw or pin 86 may be loosened to adjust, reverse, or replace
the stuffer blade 84.
A bearing plate 92, similar to the bearing plate 44 shown in FIGS.
1-6, is secured to the lower jaw 74 and has a flat bearing surface
94 facing the stuffer blade 84 in the jaw 72. A resiliently
yieldable backing member or cushioning pad 96, similar to the
backing member 48 in FIGS. 1-6, is sandwiched between the bearing
plate 92 and the jaw 74 providing for yielding movement between the
bearing plate and jaw to accommodate variable sized terminal
connectors positioned between the jaws to prevent damage to the
electrical cable due to excessive pressure which might be applied
by an operator of the tool when the cable is assembled or
terminated to the connector, as elaborated in relation to the form
of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-6.
A lost motion means similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-6, is provided
for connecting the bearing plate 92 to the jaw 74 and includes a
pair of slots 98 formed in the outer or side faces of the jaw 74
and extending generally in the opening and closing direction of
movement of the jaws as shown by the double headed arrow A (FIG.
7). A pin 100 extends through the jaw 74 with the opposite ends of
the pin disposed within the slots 98. A post-like member 102 is
rigidly secured at one end thereof (the top end as viewed in FIG.
7) to the underside of the bearing plate 92, extends through a bore
104 in the resiliently backing member or cushion 96, and through a
bore 106 formed in the jaw 74. The pin 100 extends through the post
member 102 to mount the bearing plate 92 and the resilient backing
member 96 to the jaw 74. This lost motion connection accommodates
relative movement between the bearing plate 92 and jaw 74 as well
as compression and expansion of the resilient member 96 during
operation of the tool to assemble or terminate an electrical wire
or cable to a terminal connector or the like. The pin 100 is
removable, as by a press-fit through the post member 102 to permit
replacement of the backing member 96 and or bearing plate 92 and
post member 102.
As mentioned hereinbefore, it should be pointed out that the
resiliently yieldable backing means defined by the backing member
or pad 96 could be appropriately employed between the stuffer blade
84 and the jaw 72, but the present embodiment of the backing member
96 disposed between the bearing plate 92 and the jaw 74 has proven
quite effective. In addition, each of the handles 72, 78 is covered
by an insulative coating or sleeve 110.
While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been
shown and described, it is apparent that various changes and
modifications may be made, and it is therefore intended in the
following claims to cover all such modifications and changes as may
fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
* * * * *